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Tuesday, 23 March 2010

A Photographic Love Story

Margaret Hardman by Edward Chambré Hardman

She became his assistant at age 17; he was ten years older. When they parted, she tormented him with tales of other lovers. They exchanged increasingly warm letters, and ended up happily married for years. She ran the household and the business, not unlike thousands of other husband-and-wife photography businesses down to the present day. When she died, of cancer, he mourned, heartbroken, for the rest of his long life.

Their love story is preserved in their letters and papers.

The more forceful personality, she was a fine photographer in her own right, and recently curators have been trying to sort out his pictures from hers—giving her her first solo show more than 100 years after her birth (in Liverpool, England).

They were working photographers. A scrap of doggerel she wrote for him:

Happy days and health and funAnd easy smiling sitters(Not the
kind that growl and scowlAnd give us all the jitters)

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Featured Comment by Sean: "I watched a great documentary on Edward Chambré Hardman on BBC Four a couple of years ago. Narrated by one of Liverpool's favourite sons, John Peel, it can be found on YouTube and should not be missed."

While this may be a great love story, I'm not sure how it elevates Margaret Hardman to the level of "important photographer".Of course, it might have something to do with the fact that the show is being exhibited at, the "Hardman" house and curated by it's staff.

I would put more stock into this exhibit if it had been conceived and curated by a neutral third party rather than an a group who stands to benefit directly from any success.

Chuck; I guess I'm in better spirits, and perhaps less cynical, than you today. (It's a beautiful early spring day here in Chicago with more to come!) So I really don't give a hang who might benefit from this show. I'm glad Mike posted the story and I'd be glad to pay my pence to see the show. "Important photographer"...bah...what the hell's that?

This may be the first time I've said this in a public forum, but here goes.

Good Grief! Don't you recognize history's embedded sexism - nowhere more evident than in photography. The very definition of 'important' implies male. And,jeez, criticizing Margaret's appearance is a commentary on her husband's photography, not hers. I think Margaret's work in the Guardian article is stunning.

It is not political correctness to reexamine history for neglected voices and visions. Thank you, Gavin and Mike, for bringing this to TOP.

Denise,
Yes, I had originally cast my post about this in the following terms: if "behind every successful man is a strong women," does that mean "in front of every strong woman is a man standing in her way?" That kind of thing. But it didn't seem quite appropriate to what I know of the story. It seems they really were a team, and husband-wife mom-and-pop shops are really not uncommon in professional photography. I'm happy Margaret is getting her due; but the picture that emerges from what little I know is of a devoted couple running a business together....

Mike

P.S. The only thing I see wrong with that picture is that I don't quite believe it. It seems like a composite photograph to me, what today might fall under the rubric of "bad Photoshop." There are a number of pictures of both of "Hardy" and Margaret in the BBC Four documentary.

Hardman's studio at 59 Rodney Street, Liverpool, England is preserved by the National Trust and is well worth the visit. Everything is preserved just as it was, including the two darkrooms (one for his business, one for private use).

Great rivalry between Liverpool and my city Manchester. Mancuinians (aka Mancs) and Liverpudlians (aka Scousers) are more alike than we like to admit, but from football to music we've each laid claim to supremacy over the other. A lot of us are from Irish stock. I seldom envy scousers (nor they us) but we haven't got a record like the one the Hardmans' left them.

A very pleasant video report of a local phenomenon. There's nothing to get cynical about. They were a couple who happened to have the luck to be able to do what they wanted and the skill pull it off. Housework was certainly not their "thing". He said of it himself: "... it was fun while it lasted." And if a few curious people visit the place they'll get a feel for what it was like to work in a wet darkroom. That's a bit of education right there!